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In the wake of The New York Times investigative article that reported that Harvey Weinstein had settled at least eight legal cases with women he allegedly sexually assaulted, members of the Peddie community reacted with surprise. Peddie’s administration, based on the policies put forth in the Peddie handbook, promotes a distinctly rigid stance on sexual assault on campus. Students are nevertheless aware of the societal problem; yet many were astonished that someone like Weinstein could be exposed for such behavior.

“I was surprised,” said Phoebe Leftridge ’18. “It seems like men like him can usually get away with it, but I’m glad someone of his notoriety is being held accountable. Seeing the response from both Hollywood, to the Internet to just regular people, as a girl in a potentially tough world, it’s been good to see.” Other students like Akshay Mody ’18 and Scott Higgins ’18, when asked about Weinstein, echoed Leftridge’s sentiments.

Weinstein has largely denied the accusations, which surfaced in the Oct. 5 issue of The New York Times. The accusations include groping, inappropriate sexual comments, forced massages and invitations to complete sexual favors for gains in career. Weinstein has since been ousted from his own company, the Weinstein Company, a film studio he founded with his brother, Robert, in 2005. Some of the Weinsteins’ biggest film productions include Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, Silver Linings Playbook and Django Unchained.

The company issued a statement, noting that, “In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company…have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately.”

After the publishing of the New York Times, the New Yorker published their own investigative piece detailing events of potentially more severity including forced oral and vaginal sex.

Several of Hollywood’s biggest stars have condemned Weinstein’s actions as deplorable. Among others, celebrity actors Gwyneth Paltrow, Cara Delvingne and Angelina Jolie admitted their own experiences with Weinstein, which could be classified as sexual assault, to the response of a positive and supportive Internet community.

Heading into the future, the Weinstein Company intends to scrub itself of anything having to do with the name Weinstein and invest in a rebranding. It is yet to be determined if Harvey Weinstein will be prosecuted, as it is unknown if the New York Police Department has opened an investigation.